Motor City Jazz: Lincoln Center Spotlights Detroit

Live Broadcast Jan. 14 at 8pm
Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis

Featuring Ron Carter, Marcus Belgrave, Curtis Fuller, Charles McPherson and Yusef Lateef

Though Detroit is perhaps most famous for the Motown sound, as Lars Bjorn and Jim Gallert state in their book, Before Motown: A History of Jazz in Detroit, 1920-1960, there would have been no Motown without Detroit’s rich jazz scene.

“Jazz reflects its surroundings,” says Linda Yohn, jazz host at WEMU Ypsilante. “Detroit jazz is like the motor city, it really has to move! It’s tied to the industry, so it’s nitty gritty, solid construction, industrial strength jazz."

In the 1930s and 40s, Detroit schools had a progressive Music Education curriculum. World-renowned bassist Ron Carter came out of this rich educational brew. Carter has appeared on over 2500 jazz recordings and during our live broadcast from Jazz at Lincoln Center, you will hear a piece written especially for Mr. Carter as well as original compositions by guest artist Yusef Lateef, heard here on tenor sax, flute and oboe. Multi-instrumentalist Lateef moved with his family to Detroit in 1925 and formed long-standing friendships with future jazz greats Milt Jackson, Tommy Flanagan and others.

Another Detroit artist we will hear from is trumpeter Marcus Belgrave. A one-time Motown Records staff musician, you can hear his masterful instrument on the hit recordings "Dancing in the Street," "The Way You Do The Things You Do," and "My Girl," among others.

Ron Carter, Marcus Belgrave, trombonist Curtis Fuller, alto saxophonist Charles McPherson, Yusef Lateef are revving their jazz engines for you on January 14.

Get your tickets to Jazz at Lincoln Center’s concert right now, or tune in to hear some of the best big band and bebop jazz – Detroit style.